04.06.08
Seriously Engaging.
The New Media Consortium (NMC) is an organisation that is dedicated to pushing the use of new media and technology, so states the video on the Learning and Physical Challenges Education Program forum. The NMC has gone beyond the 2nd dimension, creating an interactive 3D campus within the virtual world of Second Life. This ‘world’ encourages the sharing of new ideas and knowledge between users which can be beneficial outcome from accessing the online campus that NMC has developed. When convening in this virtual 3D world, people are exposed to ‘insightful interaction, collaboration, learning and experimentation’ which not only allows them to develop their skills of using new media but also gives them an opportunity to critically reflect upon issues prevalent within the Second World community. The NMC provides its users with a platform to interact in a shared space in real time, thus a richer, creative interaction is available than that on the 2D web. This Second Life can become people’s lives, which provides benefits, but also runs the risk of engaging the individual to the point where they become detached from reality, preferring their virtual life than partaking in their own life. Immersing students in a virtual world that may overcome their learning and physical challenges can help to solve real world issues, but is the risk of the students disengaging from their reality one that’s too great to implement this new media within students’ learning environment?
Video retrieved from: http://lpcesc07.ning.com/video/video/show?id=683712%3AVideo%3A604
